


Bearhearted

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [13]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/F, Gen, also sorry but everyone's names keep changing, and people almost dying, idk maybe T is too hard but also there's mentions of slavery, it's only kind of my fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28395861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd returns home after a clash with the Viglundings with many new scars and a new name.
Relationships: Avina/Hild
Series: Eadgyd, But Not Sad [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877335
Kudos: 1
Collections: All the Eadgyd All the Time





	Bearhearted

**Author's Note:**

> So the Viglundings are this cruel tribe north of Beorning-land who believe in survival of the fittest and take slaves in their raids. In one of their most recent raids, they took Avina as a slave (and badly wounded her wife, Hild), so Eadgyd and Frida went on a little rescue mission (with some help).
> 
> Eadgyd almost died, BUT she got a new title (and also, mostly dead is different from all the way dead) and her sisters are safe.
> 
> Also, about the bazillion new names: Wynflaed and Hild are now official Beornings, Avina got her mother's old title of Beornraed, and Frida's old enough to have a title of her own. I'm tagging twice just to indicate that these are all the same people.
> 
> I also cried like four times about Eadgyd's new title and a couple more about what she and her sisters went through.

Eadgyd could not remember the last time she’d been so relieved to see her family home. Her wounds had made the return journey difficult and she was glad to be somewhere where she could rest. She raised her fist to pound on the door, but Frida nudged it aside.

“You’ve lived here all your life,” she said as she turned the handle. “You know better than to knock.”

Eadgyd nodded—ever since she could remember, the door of their home had been open to anyone who sought aid. Hearing a knock at the door meant that a stranger had come to call.

“We’re home!” Frida said, ushering Avina and Eadgyd into the house and closing the door behind them.

Wynflaed, who had been embroidering a tea towel, gasped with joy when she saw the three of them standing in the foyer. “Frideger, go fetch Hild and Anhaga!” she said. “Avina’s home!”

Frideger rushed in from the kitchen, a ladle sticking out of one of their apron pockets. “So she is,” they said. “Welcome home.”

Frideger shuffled across the room to embrace Eadgyd, Avina, and Frida. “I’m so glad to see you all safe. When I learned you were setting out to the Viglunding encampment, I feared the worst.”

“Twas a close call,” Eadgyd admitted. “Viglund would’ve had me if Frida hadn’t thought to set the goats loose on him.”

Frideger laughed heartily at that. “Just as much of a mischief-maker as your old namesake, hmm?” they asked Frida.

Frida winked at them. “You know it.”

Frideger grinned at Frida. “I’ll go wake Hild,” they said. “Come and sit—there’s a pot of soup on the stove that’ll be ready soon.”

Eadgyd and Frida took their seats, both sighing with relief. Avina was about to join them, but before she could, a lanky youth rushed down the hall directly towards her.

“Vina!” Eadgar cried as he ran into his mother’s arms. “You’re home!”

Avina staggered backwards slightly before wrapping her arms around her son. “I’m home, love,” she said, squeezing him extra tight. “Aunt Eadgyd and Aunt Frida helped me escape.”

Eadgar turned his attention to his aunts, tears shining in his eyes. “Thank you,” was all he managed before he buried his face in his mother’s shoulder and began sobbing as though he were a babe.

“I know you were scared,” Avina said as she stroked his hair. “I was too, but I’m home now and I’m never going to leave you like that again.”

“Good,” Eadgar murmured. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I don’t mean to, love,” Avina said, giving Eadgar a gentle kiss on the head. “Now would you go out and get some water for your aunts?”

Eadgar nodded eagerly and was out the door in a flash.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so eager to do chores,” Avina teased.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose,” Frida said before turning her attention to Eadgyd. “You all right there?”

Eadgyd shrugged, trying to ignore the pain that the motion caused. “I’ve had worse,” she said.

“That’s how you know she’s really hurt,” Frida fake-whispered to Avina.

Eadgyd arched an eyebrow at her youngest sister. “I can still hear perfectly well, you know,” she said.

“And?” Frida began. “Am I wrong?”

“No,” Eadgyd sighed. “I just hope that the soup is done soon. A solid meal will do me some good.”

“That and some tea,” Avina said. “I have a blend that’ll ease your pain. It might make you a bit out of sorts, so we’ll save that for after dinner.”

Eadgyd nodded wearily. It had been a trying few days and she would rather not have her sleep disturbed with nightmares. She was grateful that her family would understand her need for rest and would not stop her when she retired early.

As she settled into her chair, Frideger reappeared, a wide grin on their face. “Look who’s here!” they said as they walked out of the hall and rushed back into the kitchen to see to the soup.

Anhaga came close behind him and squealed with delight as she saw Avina. “Mama, look!” she cried. “Vina’s home!”

“So she is,” Hild said as she limped into the room. She moved with more ease than before, but still leaned heavily on her walking stick and even the short walk from her bedroom to the table seemed to exhaust her.

Avina picked up Anhaga, resting the child on her hip as she took her wife into her arms. “I thought you were dead,” she sobbed. “I saw you lying there unmoving when they took me and I was so sure…”

Hild chuckled through her tears. “I don’t go down so easily,” she said. “Not sure my leg will ever be the same, but I’m here and so are you. That’s more than I dared to hope for a few days ago.”

“And I don’t mean to part from you ever again,” Avina said before turning her attention to Anhaga. “Or you, sweetheart.”

Anhaga reached out to hug her mothers. “I missed you, Vina,” she said.

“I missed you too, darling,” Avina said as she stepped away from Hild, pulling out a chair for her wife and setting Anhaga in her own chair. “Don’t exert yourself too much, love—sit.”

“Who am I to deny such a fair maiden?” Hild said, winking at Avina as she eased into her chair.

“Oh, hush,” Avina said, swatting her playfully as she set Anhaga down. “You flirt as though we were still rosy-cheeked youths.”

Hild grinned. “You like it.”

“I do,” Avina admitted, leaning over to kiss Hild before she sat down. “Mmm, I missed your mouth.”

“I missed yours more,” Hild teased, leaning over to give Avina a quick peck on the lips.

Avina grinned, flushing as though she were a young girl.

“And I missed you both too,” Hild said, turning her attention to Eadgyd and Frida. “I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done. I thought I’d never see Avina again.”

“I would be dead had you not carried me off the battlefield that day,” Eadgyd said. “I would never abandon you in your hour of need, especially not after what happened to Vina.”

“Neither would I,” Frida said. “Besides, Avina’s saved our sorry asses more times than I can count. I hope this evens the score a little bit.”

Avina waved the comment away. “We’re family—there is no need to keep score,” she said. “But if there were, it would be settled tenfold.”

Before Eadgyd or Frida could respond, the door banged open and Eadgar appeared, carrying a bucket of water. “I brought as much as I could carry!” he exclaimed as he hauled the bucket into the kitchen, sloshing water all the way.

Avina moved to clean it up, but Frida stopped her. “Don’t trouble yourself—I’ll take care of it,” she said as she fetched a cloth from the linen closet and cleaned up after her nephew.

“You’d best thank your Aunt Frida for that!” Avina called after him. “Do try not to spill any more, though.”

“Thank you, Aunt Frida!” Eadgar called.

“Thank me by giving Eadgyd the first glass of water, will you?” Frida said.

Eadgar frowned as he emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of water. “How is that thanking you?” he asked.

“Because Eadgyd needs it more than I do,” Frida said as she passed the two glasses to Eadgyd and Avina. “So does Vina.”

Eadgar seemed mystified by this, but didn’t press any further. He carried out more glasses, setting them before the rest of his family before taking his seat at the table.

“Dear, you’ve forgotten yourself,” Avina told him.

“Oh!” Eadgar said before rushing off to fill a cup of water for himself, most of which he spilled in his hurry to return to the table.

“Don’t worry,” Frida said as she took up the rag from before to clean up Eadgar’s spills. She stopped behind his chair, ruffling his hair playfully. “Walk a bit more slowly next time, all right?” she said. “I’m not always going to be here to clean up after you.”

“All right,” Eadgar said somewhat reluctantly.

“Soup’s ready!” Frideger called from the kitchen. “Don’t trouble yourselves—I’ll bring it out.”

Despite their protests, Wynflaed arose to help Frideger carry the bowls to the table. It was a hearty stew, filled with mushrooms and a wide variety of vegetables from the garden.

“Well, this is a nicer evening than I’d hoped to have in a long time,” Wynflaed said. “Tis a trying time, but having you all home safe is the best tiding of all.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Frida said. “I almost forgot the best news of all! Eadgyd’s no longer sad—at least, not in name.”

“Truly?” asked Hild, raising an eyebrow.

Frida nodded. “Beorn himself gave her the title,” she said, beaming. “Eadgyd the Bearhearted: for she protects her people like a mother bear protects its cubs.”

“How perfect,” Hild said, smiling.

Avina nodded. “Mother would be so proud—and so would Father.”

“We’re all proud,” Frideger said as they picked up their cup of tea. “Let us all raise a glass to Eadgyd the Bearhearted. May she carry the strength of her namesake with her always.”

Everyone raised a glass and together cried, “To Eadgyd the Bearhearted!” before drinking deeply.

Eadgyd watched, tears shining in her eyes as she took a sip of her water. “I could not ask for more than I have now,” she said. “There are still many troubles ahead of us, but I take comfort in knowing that we shall weather them together.”

**Author's Note:**

> And thus Eadgyd is no longer sad in name (although she probably still is in character because clinical depression).
> 
> I'm so proud of my girl.
> 
> (Also, it felt clunky to include this in the fic, but Frideger's apron says "Kiss the Cook" and has a bunch of hearts embroidered on it. Wynflaed made it for them [not sure if I've mentioned it here, but those two are now A Thing].)
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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